Paragon Profile: David Jacquier

As much as we all love Magic, the thing that makes Magic great and keeps us coming back are the friends and community Magic brings with it. In our Paragon Profile series, we'll be introducing you to a bunch of our local players who you might find sitting across from you at the Paragon Games.

I remember the first time I played Dave at FNM Modern. He was on a white wheenie deck and I'd brought in what was my favourite deck back then – Selesyna aggro (I loved Advent of the Wurm). We talked between rounds and I got to know a bit about his Magic story. Fast forward 3 years later and we thought, "Who would be a great person to feature in our Paragon Profiles?" I thought back to that FNM and decided what a cool story to share with the rest of the community.

So without further ado, introducing David Jacquier!

When did you start playing Magic?

I started playing five years ago when my son got me into it when he was 12.

Did you both start playing together?

Yeah, he wanted someone to play with him so we sat down together and read the rules so he could start playing with his friends.

Does he still play with his friends?

Nah, he kinda found guitars and girls and has stopped playing Magic, but he left me really keen to play and I now have no one at home to play with!

So who do you play with now?

I don’t play at home anymore. I mostly play at stores and with some friends in a league.

So what type of events do you like playing in?

Pretty much constructed formats, but yeah, mainly standard. I feel like the level of my game has improved a lot so I could try branching out and playing other formats.

Which other formats are you thinking about?

I’ve got modern decks but I always feel when I’m playing that I’m dying without realising that I’m dying!

Like passing priority and then realising you’ve lost the game?

Yeah, the combo kills. I need to get better at playing around them.

What sort of decks do you like playing?

Fast creature decks.

So the fast aggro decks?

Yeah, fast aggro. The first deck I ever had was in Innistrad. It was a humans deck. I’m currently running a humans deck as well. The last three tournaments I’ve played in I’ve won so I’m on a roll at the moment. So humans is my thing.

What type of colours do you like playing?

Predominantly white. White splash red. White splash green. At a push blue. But very limited counter spells. More about blue creatures that could fit into the deck, like reflector mage.

What are the star cards for you?

The Bushwacker! Particularly with Gideon. Having the mana to swing in with a hasty Gideon. Usually by the time you’re playing that it’s enough to kill them.

So you’re mostly playing standard?

Yeah. I’m not that great at drafting but I’m currently playing in a league with others that are much better than me and I think it’s helping me get better. I used to be on the bottom but now I’m kinda midway. There are a couple of guys in there that have been on the Pro Tour, so they know what they’re doing.

What are the most important characteristics you think a Magic player should have?

Patience. And that’s taken me a long time to learn. Especially playing aggro. It’s taken me a long time to work out when to do the alpha strike instead of going in hard too early. There’s sensible and then there’s stupid. And I think I’ve probably been a bit stupid in the past. I’ve gotten a bit less stupid!

So working out when you commit?

Yeah and I think that’s why I never liked counter magic. Just the waiting element. I’ve never been particulary good at it. I’ve gotten a bit better at it, just in terms of predicting what’s going to happen.

Does that mean that there’s a control deck waiting for you on the horizon?

Well, I’ve played Scapeshift a few times in Modern and that’s pretty much as controlley as I’ve gotten. I played it but it wasn’t really my thing. I do appreciate it. It’s an interesting deck to play. It just wins outta nowhere. Counter, counter then 26 damage.

What deck would you bring to a Paragon tournament tomorrow?

White Red Humans.

So you said your son found girls and stuff. What's kept you playing?

The way it evolves. It just keeps your head busy trying to work it all out. It’s just like nothing else I’ve played. Pre-releases are a lot of fun – cracking boosters first thing on a Sunday morning. And now that I’ve quit my daytime job – I used to be a scientist – I’m now working at the Games Capital and I get to be part of the hype everyday.

Why do you think someone should play in a Paragon Games event?

I think the community is really important so more events like Paragon Games can give more opportunities for people to get better at Magic and improve how we perform at the big events like the GPs.

It is definitely something we want to cultivate – a competitive community that can help each other get better.

Yeah it'd be great if Canberra could have a strong showing at these big events!

The Paragon Games Tournament Series 2016 season is running in Canberra from 17 September to 3 December. Register now for your chance to share in $1750 in cash prizes and player rewards!

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2 thoughts on “Paragon Profile: David Jacquier”

Great choice for the first of (I’m hoping!) many of these player profiles. Dave is a fantastic bloke who I’ve had the pleasure of watching play many times – I also work at the Games Capital – and working is the same as watching Magic games right? Looking forward to seeing how Dave does in the Paragon Series!